In recent years, the use of implantable medical devices, such as pacemakers and defibrillators, has become increasingly common. Such devices are now used not only to detect, treat, and terminate cardiac arrhythmias, such as atrial tachycardia (AT), ventricle tachycardia (VT), atrial fibrillation (AF), and ventricle fibrillation (VF), but to prevent them altogether using specific pacing methods.
One type of device is commonly known as a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). Unlike a conventional (i.e., transvenous) ICD, the electrodes of a subcutaneous ICD are not deployed within the heart of the patient. Rather, the electrodes are simply implanted under the skin, near the heart. The subcutaneous ICD senses a patient's heart rhythm and classifies it according to a number or rate zones to detect episodes of tachycardia and/or fibrillation. The ICD then treats the arrhythmia with electric shocks delivered from the electrodes.
One difficulty associated with subcutaneous ICDs is that because the electrodes are not located within the heart, the accuracy with which arrhythmias are detected can be compromised. As a result, the subcutaneous ICD may falsely detect arrhythmias and provide unnecessary treatments. Additionally, even if the arrhythmia is properly detected, the patient may not want to have the treatment delivered for various reasons.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a method and system for aborting cardiac treatments which may be delivered in response to a detected arrhythmia. Furthermore, other features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.